Trading Places
by kuroren23
Summary: AU.In the aftermath of choice made and wars waged two battered hearts find a way to get rid of heartaches and hang-ups by trading places in each other's world.They would need wit, angst and eveything else to survive the last place they want to be in.
1. Chapter 1

Authors Note: Usual Disclaimer applies. BLEACH and all its wacky, wonderful characters belong to the genius that is Kubo Tite- Sensei. I could only borrow their essence and attempt to create a world for them to play in.

The story I will present isn't really set in stone. I wrote it in a whirl of frenzied writing one night after watching episode 376. For my own reason I really got ticked off by the Orange-haired One. So I ask that you indulge me if I bash her a little. I'm only human-I am allowed to take sides and get mad some of the time. For that reason I too, I made the main pairing of this tale be inspired by another episode. You'll figure it out soon enough. That being said I am hoping to write a viable story that highlight ties and the bonds among the people that inhabit Bleach universe. Please tell me what you think.

* * *

**_From childhood's hour I have not been_**  
**_ As others were; I have not seen_**  
**_ As others saw; I could not bring_**  
**_ My passions from a common spring._**  
**_ From the same source I have not taken_**  
**_ My sorrow; I could not awaken_**  
**_ My heart to joy at the same tone;_**  
**_ And all I loved, I loved alone._**

- _ Alone_, **EAP**

* * *

**HER**

_A remote area in Karakura Town..._

The high vaulted ceilings boasted by the large antebellum mansion did little to remind those unfortunate enough to enter the room of its much vaunted space. Every inch of its expansive walls were covered by painting of all sizes—ranging from a measly 24 x 36 inches of naked, unframed canvas, to towering murals that flowed to nearly three meters in height. Each and every single one splattered and tattooed with images from the deepest nightmares rarely permitted in the forgiving light of day.

Each canvas was a testament to silent screams of the darkest human emotion—images that spoke in haunting tones of pain and betrayal…of loss and anguish…of despair and death. Over and over again, in myriad ways that defy conventional human understanding or comprehension the images played again and again on the muted stretch of what was once virgin cloth, stained with the colors of unrelenting ebony and obsidian, pale ghostly greys and icy whites that was brought to brilliant relief by the occasional slash of crimsons and scarlet that burned and pulsed like a living wound on the otherwise already pallid picture of otherworldly realms were life seemed more phantom than fact.

The images were divided and held at bay by nothing paltrier than the breaks of thin black lines where one frame ended and another began. Where canvas and blackened wood yielded territory, slivers of jagged metal would take its place, illuminating the various pieces of wickedly edged blades displayed in all their naked glory as they lay pinned to the unmoving walls of concrete by the thinnest length of ultra-fine wires.

Swords of every available shape and size, created from one end of the world to the other, from every known era graced the faceless walls—halberds and claymores from ancient forges lie next to the seemingly impossible elegance of tantos and naginatas, stilettos gilded with blood and gold share space with massive broadswords from the crusades, strikingly fearsome scythes dangling close to seemingly harmless kunais as they lie, silent and still alongside the sensuous lines of a disassembled katana. Their true purpose seemed to be at war with their stillness and the odd serenity they lent in a place that appear intent in its quest to personify death and pain and loss. Their lethal edge displayed as if to emphasize the bond they share with the images that were mirrored on the shining surface of their unyielding blades.

And though the room where all of these things were to be found seemed better suited for the dank and darkness of a dungeon, light poured into the space like some life-giving elixir, flooding every corner with cleansing illumination that came from the skylight that dominated half the ceiling as well as the many cathedral windows that lined all the sides of the huge room. The purity of light bounced off the shimmering surface of the naked blades and created a kaleidoscope that was wholly ignored by the room's sole occupant, and even as the light created a halo-like glow around the crouched figure it paid scant attention. Its focus was on another world, another image that was forming beneath masterful hands that knew no recourse and recognized no disturbance—not even that of the sun's undying light.

Clad in nondescript clothes of grey jeans and tattered mousy brown button-down shirt, the figure's hand moved with surprising grace and economy of movement across the stretched virgin canvas. There were no pencil marks that would've made it easier to map out figures and objects in their proper placement on the surface of the cloth. Hair as dark as shimmering onyx were confined in a messy bun tied back by frayed twine revealing pale complexion and a slight build beneath the bulky mass of fabric. Eyes the color or rain-drenched earth peaked from behind thick lashes intense and unseeing—they looked inward as if the act of creating images on the canvas was a simple and unconscious by-product of intense introspection rather than a creative process. Thin lips gave no indication of thought or passing feeling. It was as if the entire figure was merely channeling the images and had to stay absolutely still lest even the creator becomes collateral damage for the picture that was slowly emerging from its brush.

The brush was poised over a new canvas, the image ready to emerge once more when for some reason the brush failed to touch the stretched cloth. A noise breaks the haunting silence of the room. Though it was faint, the painter's hand paused for an imperceptible moment before quietly resuming its work. Soft unhesitating treads marked the passage into the center of the room, closer and closer to where the creator stood in silent absorption.

"Who let you in?"

"He always lets me in. You didn't warn him about me."

"I'd be sure to tell him now."

"You missed lunch again. You already missed breakfast twice this week."

The voice that spoke was sweet as spring itself revealing a sense of femininity that celebrates the owner's very nature. The lilts and cadences revealing generous warmth and affection that stood so out of place in a domain that seemed determined to hold life and light at a cautious distance. A sun-kissed cheek dimpled in a welcoming smile even as hands busied themselves laying out the makings of a well-balanced lunch of sandwiches, fruit and tea.

"Come and eat before it gets cold. I decided we could have lunch together since you've been too busy to come see me."

"I told you not to come here."

The figures voice, in contrast with its guest, seemed steeped in the shadowy coolness of autumn. There was no blustery huskiness in the figure's voice to indicate that the creator barely spoke since coming into the room. It was cool, even and uninflected. Like the clothes and the frames that surrounded them, there was an air of emptiness and stillness in the voice that certainly reached its companion.

"I know what you told me. I also know that you get this way every time you work which is nearly every single time. We have school in two hours. You need time to wash the smell of turpentine off of your skin if you want to continue pretending all that you do here is clean rusted up metal."

The young woman held out a moist towel and waited patiently until her companion grudgingly took the offering. She kept her eyes on her reluctant host as it gave pale, frail looking paint-drenched hands an indifferent scrub.

"What I do or don't do is none of their concern."

The towel was folded with an abject lack of attention and placed on the infinitesimally small space that's unoccupied on the scarred, laden table. The young woman gave a chiding tsk before picking up the towel and placing it inside one of the many pockets of the bag she brought with her. She cleared a space on the table by putting way the many odd and ends that littered across the scarred surface before unpacking the contents of the lunch she brought with her. She handed her host a small cup and poured hot tea into it.

"You can't expect Dad not to notice that you smell like you burned down a building all by yourself. And even if Dad doesn't comment on it, you know that he would."she murmured softly.

"He lost the right to comment on anything I do with my life three years ago."came the cold reply.

"Are you still holding on to that argument? It's been, as you said, three years. Surely you've forgiven him for what he said and did all those years ago. You know how he is. He could've done a lot worse."

"Yeah, I know how he is. And he did do a lot worse. Continued on doing it, too. That's why I know he lost that right. Just as he lost…"

The flow of words stopped abruptly, clamping into silence thoughts that were never allowed to be whispered in light of day. Thoughts that were known to the both of them though only one of them suffered far deeper than the other.

"You can't ask that he change his ways. He made those decisions with his eyes wide open. She was his friend-!"

"Don't."

The room's temperature plunged as if it was suddenly flung into a frozen sea. The warmth that began to creep into the painter's eyes vanished in an instant leaving behind an empty wasteland where emotions normally should be.

"Karin-chan…"

"Don't tell me I can't feel the way that I do Yuzu. You, of all people, should know that I could never forgive that woman for what she did. For what she put him through—what I had to live through because of her. So do me a favor and don't ever mention that woman again."

"She explained didn't she? They threatened her…she had no choice."

"I know the truth Yuzu. I saw it inside her. It was there…there inside her where no one bothered to look. But I had to…I needed to…I thought I was going to go insane when I saw him like that…when I saw what saving her cost him. No…I could never forgive her Yuzu. You couldn't ask that of me…"

"Would hating her change anything?"

"Of course not. It didn't do anything to me certainly it didn't do me any good. But neither would ignoring the fact and acting as if it never happened. If they can't or won't say anything—well, at least I did what I thought and felt was right."

* * *

_FLASHBACK_

_**Blood….**_

_**He was bathed in blood…**_

_**The crimson flood of his own mixing and mingling with the bracken blood the color of night…**_

_**His hair flowing wildly around his disfigured face as those eyes…those inhuman golden eyes behind the monstrous mask looked on in indifferent glee as he ripped through everything around him…talons tipped every digit of his clenched had as it held fast a katana dipped in the color of night...**_

_**His skin…bleached a preternatural sheen of white like moonlight on sand…and everywhere else there, was darkness and blood and wails no mortal could ever produce…**_

_**That's the nightmare that haunted her all throughout those long hours when he was away…that and the niggling truth that slowly formed inside her as she watched the horrific events unfold behind her closed lids…trapping her in a waking nightmare that new no cessation even when she was awake.**_

_**All of **__**HIS**__** pain just to save her…all his strength straining close to the breaking point just so he could bring her home…his heart yearning to see her safe…his soul sacrificing everything to win a fight he didn't have to join in the first place…all because of **__**HER**__**.**_

"_You bitch!"_

_**My arm moved on its own. That much I was aware of. When my palm cracked against her cheek the pain seemed to shoot straight into my heart, numbing it even as tears flowed freely from my blazing eyes**__._

"_K-karin! What the hell are you doing?"_

_**Arms and hands came at me from every side, restraining my straining body but I was blind to everyone around me. All I had inside me was a burgeoning flame of hate that needed an outlet before it consumed me completely. I couldn't—wouldn't hold back. I needed to say the words that have been burning on my tongue since the nightmares started.**_

"_You bitch! How dare you! How could you!" _

_**I knew that I shocked them all. I knew that none of them—not my father, not my twin—not even the woman my brother sheltered in his room and bled for before had ever seen me in a towering rage before. I was the stoic one, the one with sarcasm and cynical views. I was never the type to be emotional or physical unless it involved sports. Now it took all of their considerable strength to restrain my slight form from inflicting more damaged to the stunned figure that stood trembling before me.**_

"_Karin what is the matter with you?"_

_**I turned and pinned Rukia with an agonized look before my gaze fell on the silent prone figure of my clearly exhausted, damaged brother—torn between joy at seeing him whole and alive and the harrowing memory of seeing his empty eyes look out at that haunting badlands. My voice quivered but I couldn't have prevented that any more than I could've prevented the nightmarish visions I had to watch over and over again.**_

"_I saw Ichi-nii! I saw what happened to him out there in that desert—that wasteland where she went to. I saw—gods in heaven Rukia I saw him fall—I watched him die…"_

"_Karin, w-what are you saying? That's just a dream…it's not-!"_

_**I saw the truth in her eyes before denial poured out of her lips. I know that she's finding it harder and harder to try and pass of what she did—what they did—what my brother continues to deny that he does as inconsequential imaginings on my part. I wished in my heart that just for once, she wouldn't try and prevaricate. That just once she would simply tell the truth.**_

"_Don't lie to me Rukia, please! Not over this…not because of her!"_

"_Karin-chan…I-I"_

"_Don't you touch me you selfish pig!How dare you! I will never forgive you!"_

_**I watched them all. My brother's 'friends'—the pale, four-eyed man, the tall, powerful Ossan that once upon a time saved me, the red-headed tattooed man that sometimes accompanied Rukia and even Rukia herself. I saw them watch me with wariness that did little to assuage the hatred inside of me for the orange-haired vixen that they sheltered behind them after my first strike.**_

"_You don't know what you're talking about Karin-!"_

"_I know! I saw it in her! I saw it while I was trapped in that waking nightmare the entire time you were gone!"_

"_Karin, she didn't have a choice-!"_

_**I closed my eyes against the hatred surging through me—robbing me of breath for a moment and for that moment I felt all hope ebb from me. I opened my eyes and saw Rukia watching me with a knowing, anguished look in her eyes. Eyes that saw and acknowledge the same truth twisting inside of me like a venomous snake but she only sought to bear the burden of the guilt she bore within.**_

"_She did it to protect all of us-!"_

_**I shook my head in denial. I knew the truth though now I wish it was otherwise. It was tearing apart everyone around me but I had to say it—someone had to, that much I was sure of. They needed to hear it and I needed to exorcise it from my soul before it festers into yet another scar I had to live with.**_

"_She made the choice. That creature—that man with green eyes saw the jealousy festering inside her. He knew how to get her. No matter what she says, no matter what she tells you I SAW her truth! She left because she couldn't be with him! She left with him because she was jealous and selfish and greedy!"_

"_Karin, that's enough. It wasn't her fault…"_

"_It was…it was her fault he had to suffer and bleed and die that way…it was because of her…she was blinded by her selfishness…she allowed for all of it to happen because she knows Ichi-nii would come no matter what-that he would be with her just as she wanted. She risked it all for that reason alone. She knows that much about him."_

"_Stop it. Please, Karin. Stop. Inoue was confused, that's all. That's why she left with him. You can't blame her for that." _

"_I can and I do. You can't ask me to just leave it be. You can't ask that I forgive and forget what I saw there. What I felt when he died-! Ichi-nii—Ichi-nii!"_

"_Please Karin...please…for me…just let it go."_

"_No! Listen to me you bitch! No matter how long it takes I will learn how to strip you of that power that calls to nothing but pain and misery for those around you. I don't care what it takes—but I will find a way to make sure you will never belong in my brother's world ever again."_

_

* * *

_"Karin-chan?"

"I don't think about it Yuzu. It's better that way. Come on, we'll be late if we don't get a move on."

As the pair walked towards the huge pair of doors that would lead them outside the painter cast a last lingering look at her domain. It was true. She doesn't think about things any more. There was no need. The chance for exacting revenge never came. Her chance at vengeance never materialized because the reason for pursuing precaution against further interaction seemed moot. By the time her beloved brother woke he no longer had the necessary skill that would allow his world and theirs to touch. The day her brother woke was the day his powers ceased to exist. It would have been the end of it but unfortunately fate doesn't play fair. The day he stepped out of the reach of all that caused him pain and misery became the day her own gift exploded into full bloom.

The only difference was this time around, they would have to drag her kicking and screaming before she allow them to get her involved. There was no way in hell she was letting them get to another Kurosaki any time soon.


	2. Chapter 2

Standard Disclaimer applies since BLEACH and its character is owned solely by the genius that is Kubo-Sensei. Many thanks for those that responded to my first attempt at writing a story for this ficdom. Please feel free to express your opinions to this humble, still struggling writer.

* * *

_**But the raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only,  
That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.  
Nothing further then he uttered - not a feather then he fluttered -  
Till I scarcely more than muttered `Other friends have flown before -  
On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before.'  
Then the bird said `NEVERMORE…'**_

_The Raven, EAP_

_

* * *

_**HIM**

_** In a cave on the outskirts of Soul Society…**_

The once abandoned network of caves now resembles far flung tundra rather than any normal underground cavern. Spires of snow dotted the landscape alongside walls of smooth glass-like,pristine sheets of ice transforming the gouge surface of rock face into a reflective chamber of frozen beauty—like a hallowed hall made of ice inside the heart of a mountain. Sharp, lethal shards decorated the ceiling, punctuating the inspiring space with the glittering nearness of awaiting death that might be delivered with the slightest provocation or careless whisper. A shaft of early morning light illuminated the chamber, making it glitter with an otherworldly light that seemed to evoke the gravity of seriousness marking the odd couple that stood beneath the shimmering light.

"_Thank you for coming so quickly Ukitake-Taichou-dono. I was prepared to wait until it was convenient for you."_

"_It is now. Though you must allow me a moment to express my surprise at who you elected to be your messenger. I didn't know anyone could materialize their zanpaktou's at will in order to make them run errands."_

"_I apologize for the slight if I had caused any offense Ukitake-Taichou-dono. I apologize for the manner in which my request for an audience was conveyed."_

"_Why the conspicuous formality? Can you not address me as you normally do?"_

"_I wish to impress that this request for an audience is done by one who respects a superior and colleague. I am about to make an imposition and speaking with as much courtesy as I can muster seems a paltry payment, Ukitake-Taichou-dono."_

"_Between the two of us you may relax and speak freely. Are we not both afflicted with the same blessed coloring, dear boy? Now, tell me what you need of me. I'm wondering too, why you chose to meet here rather than at the offices of your division."_

"_I apologize for the inconvenience of your surroundings."_

"_Not inconvenient—merely cold."_

Immediately after the words were spoken a large square area where the older figure lighted and the ice vanished—melting into nothingness as if they never were frozen, as if the very notion of ice never once touched their earthen surface.

"_Impressive as usual. Your genius is as surprising now as when I first took note of it during your first days in the academy."_

_**Genius…**_

_**The appellation that once upon a time caused him recognition and pride only mocks him now. It reminds him of nothing more cruel and poignant but the truth that his genius is only as good as a slap on his face because all it ever brought him and those around him was pain. Far better that the isolation and conspicuous ostracism continued until it drove him mad rather than allow him hope only to snatch it when he needed it the most. **_

_ "The matter I wish to discuss must remain private Ukitake-Taicho-dono. It is for this reason that I arranged for a meeting here."_

_ "Are you saying that you cannot ensure privacy in your own offices, in the bastion of your own division? I find that a little hard to believe in this time and age of peace."_

"_I doubt very much if the whole of Seiritei could provide me such luxury."_

"_If you feel that this is what you need, then I will question your choice no longer. Speak freely of this matter for which we both awoke earlier than all of hell's butterflies."_

"_I wish for you to convey my intentions to select a replacement…"_

_**Prodigy…**_

_**His skill…once he believed it was his salvation. It enabled him to follow the woman he adored to her beloved world. It allowed him to gain respect that he once thought he didn't deserve and gave him a place to call home once more after he had no choice but to leave his grandmother's side or risk her dying from his power.**_

_**His genius gave him a sense of self…a sense of accomplishment that allowed him to hope that he could be of service to HER- to the beloved comrade and companion from his former life. Once upon a time he was proud of the strength of his reiatsu because it warned away those that would've caused her unhappiness or harm. It protected her when he was near and his reputation sufficed when he couldn't physically be there.**_

_**And yet, for all his genius and prodigious talent he was blind to the truth that now stripped him of everything he had to live for. His genius was laid low by someone smarter and more strategic than he could ever hope to be. His skill outshone by someone who was born with more innate battle instincts than he could ever possess. His talent stripped and ridiculed by the eons of experience that he lacked despite all his effort and training. In the end, all he had was pride and even that was finally wrenched away when he felt the warmth of her blood grow cold in his hands.**_

"_But why? Why now? We are at peace, you have as much right to gain from it as all the others. You fought for this peaceful time as well as the rest, you sacrificed much for the cause of Seiritei-!"_

"_Perhaps I realize now that I have nothing else to give if there arose yet another need. I have nothing else to sacrifice, Ukitake-Taichou-dono."_

"_What happened then was not your fault. No one blames you for it-!"_

"_No one that matter could lay blame and those that should—never would."_

"_Are you sure this is the only option left to you? Is there no other recourse open for us to consider?"_

"_Please convey my sincerest gratitude to the Commander General and my abject apologies for not being able to deliver my message in person…"_

"_You needn't yield your post! She could hold on to your position while you consider and deliberate your alternatives…"_

"_I owe her too much—much more than she would ever know or understand. She has suffered much and I could not—would not—give her yet another burden to carry. She tries her best to live through enough hardship—even those that would have felled the best of us. I cannot make her do this for me."_

_**Gifted…**_

_**His gift was death and despair…he should've seen it then when all that his gift brought was a reiatsu strong enough to injure and jeopardize the woman that sheltered and nurtured him when no one else would open their door for a child with eerie eyes and shocking hair. His gift allowed him only one way to thank her—by bringing her closer to the brink of death as surely as a knife plunged into her aging, weakened body as he slept innocently by her side. If his propitious meeting with Matsumoto hadn't occurred when it did, he would've woken one morning to her murdered corpse—unaware that he should look no further for his own hands for the telltale mark of his victim's blood.**_

_**And now his gift proved ineffectual in everything but bringing more pain to the woman he adored and respect and wanted to protect above all else. He made her vulnerable when his pride caused him to keep her at arm's length. His conceit blinded him to her growing devotion to a treacherous liar that betrayed her over and over again, fracturing her mind with every lie, stealing her soul with every deceit spoken and discussed and confronted.**_

_**He failed her in a hundred different ways until the final affront came when it was he who plunged her into the darkest pit of betrayal and pain by aiding the man that stripped her of everything she once prized. His vow to deliver death was fulfilled. But his hand—his genius—delivered it to the one soul he wanted most to save. His sword slid into her weakened body in a fit of blind rage—too angry to heed the caution in the wind until the realization that it was **HER__** body—**__not his__**—that was being skewered by his own sword, **__his own hand__**. **_

"_Where would you go from here? Why can't you simply remain here in Seiritei?"_

"_I no longer have any place here. I may have belonged here once, Ukitake-Taichou-dono, but no longer."_

"_Why do you say such things?"_

"_Because I can speak only the truth now."_

"_You cannot ask me to bid you goodbye. You, are like the son I never had the joy of having. I refuse to entertain a single moment that would make me think that you will never come home."_

"_You have honored me far beyond my deserving all my years here. I will always be grateful to you Ukitate-Taichou-dono. I am happy that at least I have you to counsel me all these years."_

_**Darkness clings to you even when you fight tooth and nail against it. Darkness laid claim on innocents and traitors alike—staining them until an innocent learns to betray and a traitor rediscovers honor. Darkness taints the purest of things—even the virgin snow learns sooner or later that all its pristine whiteness could no more retain its immaculate perfection once blood marks it. **_

"_I will not deny that the war has torn us all apart—it has wounded not only our pride but our very faith in one another. But it too will pass. Like all the other scars that we have borne before and will be forced to bear yet again, the pain and bitterness will pass and fade with time."_

"_There are some things even time is not proof against Ukitake-Taichou-dono."_

"_But of those things—you are not one of them. This is your fate—this is your place. This is where you belong most of all."_

"_Once I would have believed that. Once when I knew my place and my strength had not yet failed me."_

_**Darkness consumes …like a festering wound it invades by slow increments, injecting itself into the most stalwart of hearts with insidious stealth…undermining everyone and everything doing precisely as it intends—devouring everything in its path—dignity, honor, courage, faith, loyalty—and nothing could ever drive it away except maybe light. But there is no light—not anymore—not even in the heart of Seiritei's youngest and proudest prodigy. And though his coloring—his sword—his very soul's reflection was created from light, it was not meant for it. He should've paid attention to why nature bestowed on him such unique looks. It was a warning to all—a reminder for him and those around him to stay away.**_

_ "What about her? What shall we tell her once she is well enough to ask and wonder where you are? What lies shall I weave then?"_

"_I will not ask you to lie for me Ukitake-Taichou-dono. Tell her the truth—I left in order to train."_

"_Is that what you're aiming to do? Train?"_

"_It is one of the things I intend to do. Ask me nothing else for I have no other answer to give you."_

"_I will not have you bid me farewell here. I will not allow it."_

"_Unfortunately, you cannot stop me."_

"_I will not believe that this place is no longer your home."_

"_I have no home. Not anymore."_

_**The recent war serves now as a reminder for him to heed what fate clearly intended for him. He was destined for a life of solitude. His coloring set him apart—his genius made him too different. His intellect, his maturity—his reality dictates the life of a lone wolf. **_

_**It was time he stopped fighting the inevitable. He would curve his desire for home and hearth. He would strip away the need for companionship and acceptance. He would embrace his fate and embody that which has always been his true nature—a forbidding, frozen entity condemned to a remote existence.**_

_**He would seek nothing from those around him. He would secure a means to gain strength to never again question or waver in his intent for solitude. He would have strength. He would have power. He would have himself. He would be strong enough to be alone, because strength alone is all that he would ever in way of companionship from now on.**_


	3. Chapter 3

Authors Note: Standard as standard does because I am a lowly mortal 'stealing' some of the magic that Kubo-Sensei clearly exhibits. Suffice to say there is a mood of waiting in this tale but I wish for it to unfold naturally. Please bear with me. Many thanks to those that gave their time and their kind words.

* * *

**_Deep into that darkness_**

**_ peering, long I stood there, _**

**_wondering, fearing, doubting,_**

**_ dreaming _****_dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before._**

_-Edgar Allan Poe_

_

* * *

_

_**Winter...on the second anniversary of HIS defeat...**_

Everything ached. Muscles and sinew protested against the action that he demanded is body to follow though, repeating the routine over and over again until what was once impossible now seemed instinctive, what was once deemed foreign now feels like second nature. Breath rasped painfully through his ravaged throat, reminding him that he hadn't stopped long enough to even drink a single gulp of water since he began this morning's training.

Wearily, he lowered his arms to his side and found to his chagrin that his hands were shaking badly, trembling from exhaustion they could hardly continue gripping his weapon but even then the sword remained firmly entrenched within the loosened clasp of his fingers—as if knowing that this would be as close to rest as either of them could hope for.

Pain was not something new…he felt it long ago…he understood the concept of it when youth allowed him the illusion that he was not at fault—_**blameless**_—innocent in causing it…bringing it to those closest to him. Pain was not something unknown… he held it in his hand and heart once upon a time and caused it—with his own hand and his own mind—with deliberation, at times—to those that threatened his world and all that he once held sacred…

Once, he believed that pain had nothing more to teach him—that he has learned it well enough during those early years…but pain was a fickle master and cruel one when crossed. He and pain are now more than passing acquaintances in the night. Then, he thought knew of pain though perhaps not as well as he knows it now.

Pain has become a constant in his new life, his new world, his new existence. It now takes the place once occupied by the duties and responsibilities that no longer laid claim on his battered body and mind.

With a determined flick of his torn wrist, he settled the sword more firmly on his palm. The balance, as always—was perfect, but it wasn't perfection that he sought. He wasn't foolish enough to want that. To achieve perfection one must be prepared to throw away everything in its pursuit. What he wants is far more than simple perfection—he wanted complete and utter mastery of his skills, his power, his element. The complete subjugation of his body, weapon and will. Perfection requires all that one has, as he had nothing else to sacrifice in the altar of the fickle hands of Fate but himself, he had the perfect lure. So far all that he has managed to achieve is simple efficiency. To make the weapon as much a part of him—a natural extension of his body and his will. To make sure that he would have the skills to defeat any enemy fate throws at him. He knows that more is needed to achieve what he desires. But he wasn't worried. He had time enough for three worlds. He would achieve what he set out to do.

A late afternoon breeze flowed all around him—cooling heated skin and telling him that his clothes were soaked. A perfunctory glance told him of the sorry state of his garments. He gave a rueful look at the tattered remains of what was once a perfectly decent robe. Rolling his shoulders, he tried to loosen the muscles that have long since screamed its complaint. He ignored it and continued to test the range of his motion and flexibility once more. He stretched and his shoulder protested the added motion yet again. Ignoring the throbbing ache building on his battered ribs he stooped to retrieve the pack he discarded earlier in the day. He straightened with a muttered curse.

_You would think I was a creaking, ancient crone with the way my body complains._

**Anyone would have cause for complaint after what you push yourself to do.**

_I didn't recall asking for your opinion on how I use my body._

**You didn't have to. I know you far better than to ask for permission.**

With an exasperated sigh and a bemused look at his companion, he reached across his chest and ripped a narrow strip from his already badly damaged sleeve. Gathering the fallen mass of his hair, he swept it up away from his face and used the strip to tie it high up the back like the samurais of old. Glad to have the heavy weight removed from his soaked and aching shoulder, allowing the still blowing wind to cool his drenched nape, he ripped another sleeve and used the fabric to staunch the flow of a particularly deep cut on his left arm.

**Effective, if a bit barbaric, not to mention, harsh on your garment.**

_It's already beyond repair anyway. Might as well find a use for it._

**As you say Master.**

_You're unusually talkative today._

**We have spent enough time together Master. You cannot deny that I have earned more than the right to speak my mind.**

_Enlighten me then._

**I fear that you have spent far too much time in my realm master. You need to rejoin the world of men.**

_I have had enough of the world of men to last me a hundred lifetimes. That world has nothing to offer me._

**I beg to differ. The world of the living is one you have long since forgotten, if indeed, you have ever learned it at all.**

_You speak in riddles once more._

**I couldn't speak more plainly if I tried Master.**

_Well then, I don't understand—_

**But I do. You have departed from that world long before you learned what it was like to truly live. Maybe that is the reason you have found an emptiness in yourself—a lack in your strength. Maybe that is the cause for this unrest that you so stubbornly battle here.**

_You overstep your bounds-!_

**This is my realm Master—in this world there will be no lies for you. In this world, I know all that moves you—all that pains and pleases you. I will never lie to you—never cause you betrayal or lead you to falsehood. In this world alone can you ever be truly yourself.**

_Teme-!_

**Master—there in your soul lies a hunger that cannot be assuaged by the world of souls or the realm of the spirits. Perhaps what you seek is in the human world—the living world.**

_Humans have less to teach me than—_

**Humans rescued your world more often than not Master. Some of them even count as your friends. Perhaps in their world you could learn the lesson that has evaded you for so long. **

_I do not wish to leave…_

**This is not the world for you Master.**

_This is your world. You, who share my world—my very soul. In all the three worlds, there is no other realm in which I would receive a far better welcome. Only in this world will I ever belong._

**Master…**

_I do not wish to relive the pain of being conspicuously ostracized. It is not a lesson I have forgotten so easily that I wish to relearn it so soon._

**Why would you be ostracized Master?**

_You are not blind, old friend. Look at me. Even within my old home I was an oddity. _

**A physical aspect could be changed. You could fashion a shell that would allow you to blend in as well as all the others. All that set you apart is your coloring.**

_That is not the only thing._

**Restraint is another form of training Master. You can learn how to control your power by leashing it beyond detection. It will also serve as training on how to maintain a reservoir of strength. I will teach you. I have learned it while I was inadvertently set free.**

_My mind? What of that? Am I supposed to pretend that I am so mentally deficient?_

**You won't have to pretend Master. There is a lot in the world we do not know. Perhaps learning new things is not a complete lie.**

_Is there no other way?_

**To actualize a sword, it is forged both in the fiery depths of an inferno and the cleansing depths of ice. You're already well acquainted with one—now is the time for you to learn the other. You already have the shape of a sword and the appearance of one. Now it's time to hone an edge.**

_I'm afraid…I'm honest enough to admit that._

**You don't have to be. I'm here. I will be with you every step of the way. Know that no matter what—I WILL always be near Master.**

**

* * *

Present Day...**

Black gakuran showing the barest margin of snow-white shirt peeking from the collar and cuffs. Black leather shoes. Black socks. Black canvas messenger's bag with a four-point star buckle, strapped across a lean chest. A cursory look at a nearby mirror revealed neatly tied hair cleverly concealing its apparent length. A quick flick of the hands to clear wayward strands brought to the light's illuminating relief a pair of lobes pierced by pewter studs in a singularly curious design.

"Do I have to do this?"

The voice that spoke was convincingly calm except perhaps to the one listening to it. The recipient of those words merely nodded and gave the response that has been tossed between them a number of times.

"Yes, Master. It is, as I mentioned, training."

"Am I ready for this?" This time the voice was no longer calm or convincing but rather vulnerable. The reply, as merited, is equally warm and genuine.

"No time like the present Master."

A cloak of silence settled like a silent benediction between the two. A sigh and a faint shifting of footfalls indicated movement towards the threshold of the traditional home the two occupied.

"Hm. We need to re-evaluate what you call me. People are bound to comment on it and that is the worst way of blending in. I will learn the individual inflections and colloquialism of this world. I will teach it to you when I come back."

"I shall eagerly wait for your return. Only—are you certain you have no need for me? I could accompany you—"

"That is not the norm here. Rest while I am away. I doubt very much if I am in any real danger here."

"Danger comes when we least expect it Master."

"Then I am the safest for I always think that I am constantly at war with the world I inhabit now."


	4. Chapter 4

Authors Note: Standard Disclaimers and all that. Story will hopefully pick up on the relationship front. HE will come. As well as all the other characters I like in the Bleach Universe. Feedback is most appreciated.

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_**Arguments are to be avoided; they are always vulgar and often convincing.**_

_Oscar Wilde_

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* * *

_

**FINDING PATHS**

She always knew she had her way with locks and passages and concealment—things people lost were ridiculously easy for her to find, things people hide were shown to her with the barest of effort—as if they were simply there for her to see and point out. She could find whatever she wanted and needed and has learned to do her searching mostly by feel. She has learned in time even the skill it would take to keep and maintain a steady link to those closest to her. It was the reason she found the truth about her brother so early on in his double life, the reason she knew which direction to avoid whenever he fights those monsters that came after him.

"_**We should take him to the clinic. It's a good thing we opened up the gate here. At least no one's going to freak that we just popped up."**_

"_**Oi, there's someone here. Looks like a little girl. It's like she's waiting for something. Think she's lost?"**_

"_**What? Ikkaku—what the hell are you talking about? What kid?" **_

"_**Karin-chan!"**_

"_**Shit! What the hell is she doing here?"**_

"_**Ichi-nii!"**_

"_**Oh shit! That's Ichigo's little sister!'**_

"_**Dammit, how did she find us here? No one even knew where we would pop up!"**_

Kurosaki Karin has a way of finding and feeling her way in any situation. As a child, it protected her from the usual gamut of dangers that the young face—bullying kids, weird teachers, and extremely suspicious adults.

"_**Karin-chan! Hurry up or we're going to be late!"**_

"_**Don't go there. Yuzu, I told you, don't use streets I haven't passed by myself…"**_

"_**But it's a short cut-!"**_

"_**It's not. It's a dead end."**_

"_**But how would you know that-!"**_

"_**I just do ok? Let it go."**_

It was a gift that she never really paid much attention to. It was simply another extension of her senses—her extremely diverse senses. Since her birth Karin has known that she was different and it wasn't just the coloring she didn't share with her twin. In truth, it was something she shared more with her oblivious brother. Perhaps not quite in the same scale and level as her brother whose spiritual strength and potential could be akin to a veritable force of nature. Her's was more subtle, more consistent and more attuned towards concealment rather than the outright show that seemed to be the way the males in her dysfunctional family handled talent.

"_**Ichi-nii! Where are you going now?"**_

"_**Stop bugging Ichi-nii, Yuzu."**_

"_**But Karin-chan!"**_

"_**He's not going anywhere dangerous. He's just off to his part-time job."**_

"_**You sure?"**_

"_**Yep."**_

"_**Oh well, in that case I suppose it's okay…now that I think about it, Dad isn't here either."**_

"_**Goat-chin can take the heck care of his own body himself. It's not our job to worry about his smelly hide."**_

"_**Karin-chan!"**_

"_**Move your butt Yuzu. We have class."**_

Her mother's death has slowed down her growth—grief inhibited her natural inclination to explore lest it create problems for those around her thus breaking her one promise she made on her mother's grave—but the past few years have made up for it. Since the night that changed his brother's world and opened up their family to the world beyond, her belated growth has slowly picked up pace once more, allowing for nature to resume its rightful pattern once more.

With the loss of Ichigo's not so inconsiderable reiatsu from her immediate vicinity, the surge and growth of her own powers has taken leaps and bounds. It was like the floodgate that was holding them at bay finally collapsed and now there was no going back.

She feels ghosts more keenly now because unlike her brother's reiatsu, her own doesn't leak out, blocking out everything within a three-mile radius. Feeling them was the least of little adjustments she has had to make. She could touch spirits freely, and at times even keep them at bay. The only difference is now she could sense almost every ghost in town and know what each one of them was feeling. She could even sense things—things that bore the special stamp of left-over feelings and thoughts, even spaces that no one else seemed to see. In the two years that Kurosaki Ichigo's powers winked out of existence, Kurosaki Karin has learned to feel her way through things, places, and people—both living and nonliving ones. She has always had a way knowing—a sixth sense where danger occurs and who's involved in it. It may also the reason why it was her who stumbled across a scene no one in their right mind expected to see on her route to school.

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**PRESENT **

**Karin's POV**

"Karin-chan!Oh! Sensei's going to make us hold buckets of water again!"

"Not going to happen…old man Takenori pulled a muscle this morning…he isn't going to lurk in any gate any time soon, "

_**I muttered, wincing when I realized what I just said. I chanced a glance at my usually distracted twin but to my utter horror, she was staring straight at me.**_

"What did you say? How would you know-?"

"Nothing! Forget about it ok? Never mind what I just said—it's not important. Ignore it. We better hurry up!"

"But you just said-!"

_**I could've kicked myself. I should know better than tell my sister the first thing that pops in my head.**_

_**It's a lesson that's just a little hard for me to get used to, no matter how much I tell myself it's for my sister's and everyone else's good. I'm more used to the notion of saying whatever it was that's in my head without filtering it out—especially not with the one person that I shared just about everything with. Yuzu's the light that I lacked. It would've been more likely for me to commit mass murder than deny her the thoughts inside my head. It's like asking someone to filter out half of their minds and I ain't that schizophrenic yet.**_

_**We walked the few blocks that led to our school and I was busily contemplating the rest of the day when I realized belatedly that I left behind my sister staring at something I totally failed to notice.**_

"Yuzu, even if I knew Takenori won't be lurking like a big monkey by the gate we would still be late if you-! Yuzu?"

"Karin-chan whatever do you think they're doing over there?"

"What?"

_**Damn…I hated it when it gets so bad that I don't notice things around me. It only ever happens when Yuzu's around since unlike all other human and even the not-so-human entities that float all around me alerts my senses and Yuzu does the exact opposite. In all the known universe, only she could completely block me out from everything simply by standing still.**_

"Dammit! I just had this made two weeks ago…"

"Karin-chan! Your language, please!"

_**The scandalized screech made me madder. It wasn't that I was deliberately crude or anything—I mean, try being pissed off and see if your mouth doesn't operate on autopilot. I glared at my sister and wouldn't you just know it—the little scamp just glared right back at me.**_

"Why are you staring at me like that? I have a point. A lady should know better than talk like you do."

"Da-da-drat it Yuzu, not these bozos again. Why can't they at least give it a rest even for a week? I just punted them into the stratosphere last Tuesday for Kami's sake! Can't they give someone a freaking rest? It's the beginning of the freaking week dammit!"

"Karin-chan!"

_**This time the screech was as much for me as for my stubbornness. I gave her a sheepish smile and tried once more to accommodate my sister's more sensitive sensibilities. I gave her an absent-minded wave and stared to step towards the scuffling group of boys my eyes finally picked up.**_

"Yeah, yeah language, I know already, sheesh."

"Isn't that Tachibana-sempai? Should I intercede?"

_**I gave my sister a disbelieving look. Sometimes I really do wonder if maybe the gods made sure we were born together so that I could protect my sister from the world. Or the world from my sister. I looked at the overly hormonal mountain of a man disguised as a teenager causing my problems and gave an indelicate snort while leveling a finger towards the boy in question.**_

"I wouldn't call him Sempai if you paid me and you sure as heck shouldn't bother Yuzu. Stay here. I'll try to break it up."

"But Karin—I'm the one who's a member of the Disciplinary Committee! I should-!"

_**I gave my sister '**__the look'__**. Normally, I don't have to do anything except scowl and cock an eyebrow and she would back down. The intervening years made her a little immune and allowed her to grow a spine against it. Damn.**_

"You should stay right where you are. I don't want you near okay?"

"But Karin-chan-!"

_**This time I pinned my sister with a look only a few girls and far too many boys would recognize. It was the same look in my eyes I was told I wear when I compete in any of the sports I play. It was a look—they said—could and did freeze their blood made it run cold. My voice, this time, was no longer indulgent or teasing. It was controlled and unfeeling—the same flat, monotone I normally take with everyone except with her. It was the voice that suits me in THAT PLACE.**_

"No. You will stay right there. If it turns ugly, use your phone and call the cops okay?"

"O-okay Karin-chan. Just—be careful okay?"

_**I nodded and offered her another smile—albeit a warmer, far more genuine one. It was my "twin's only" smile. I raised my right hand and gave her a salute.**_

"No worries. Be done in a sec, sis."

* * *

_**Mondays…I knew there was a reason I hated this one particular day amongst all the others. Mondays normally resulted in surly kids, in surly moods, doing things that's guaranteed to piss someone else and make THEM surly. It's a vicious cycle that never seems to find any ending—except during school holidays and vacations.**_

"You think you're so tough, dontcha punk?"

_**The gravely, annoyingly nasal voice of one Tachibana Hideki was a dead-give away even if I had stumbled upon the scene blindfolded and in the dark. It was a voice that nagged at me since I was old enough to step into the hallowed playgrounds and parks of Karakura Town.**_

"I wasn't aware that I was broadcasting anything—mentally or otherwise."

_**This new voice was faint…unknown and unheard of and yet something about it made me pause in my stride. Shaking my head to clear it, I focused on the here and now. The voice I heard maybe both familiar and unknown but dwelling on it right at that moment is definitely not wise. I could solve the dratted mystery behind the voice that creates feelings of déjà vu later.**_

"You wise crackin' me punk? Don't you know where you are?"

_**Gotou Akihiro, Tachibana's much vaunted right hand man followed his leader both in girth and sheer lack of common sense. Not for the first time I wondered why he possessed such a name that obviously failed to give him a clue on how to become when he grows up. The only thing his name got right was the large part—he's the size of a truck if at all. The only thing bright about him was the fact that he could block out the sun from the standpoint of a little kid pinned by him on the ground.**_

"On my route to school last time I checked."

_Déjà vu__**. There is was again…that strange frisson of knowing…but it was becoming more elusive—like a half-forgotten dream that's already fading. I quickened my step. The owner of the only voice and figure I wasn't familiar with was either incredibly cantankerous or unaccountably dense. I prayed that it was the latter. If it was the former then I couldn't guarantee that the scene today wouldn't have a repeat. It didn't help matters that the Matsunaga twins were also there.**_

"Oh man, you're really asking for it you pansy goth freak."

"Yeah, goth-boy, were going to beat you so bad you will be ready for your own funeral, you freak!"

_**Time to take a more pro-active approach. No sense getting involved if the victim got '**__victimized'__** while I was doing the rescuing. That will ruin everything and earn me an earful from Yuzu. The downside to having a bossy angel for a twin is that I can't win with an argument or a fight. **_

"Gentlemen! Your language please! "

_**Hah! I'm sure Yuzu would be snickering somewhere hearing as how I went ahead and used the same complaint she had with my own tongue with the idiots that now stood in front of me. I stood there, in the same insolent pose I sported when I confronted them bullying a freshman not a week ago. The irony, I knew, was lost to anyone but me. My fingers flexed in anticipation and idly I wondered if beating the occasional punks would qualify as suitable warm up exercise for my soccer practice later on in the day.**_

"Wh-what? W-who said that? I'm going to-!"

"Hello, Ahou-tachi. What exactly was it that you were saying? What are you going to do, hmm?" I asked sweetly.

_**The following reaction was expected. They all did their patented impression of landed trout. It would've been seriously amusing if I didn't have to witness it every single time each week for the last four years of my life. Why can't these bozos ever try something new? Like maybe use their brains for once.**_

"Ah-ah!"

"Dammit! It's her!"

"Kurosaki!"

"What the hell are you doing here stupid Class Representative?"

"Ah, come on, haven't you learned my name yet, Idiot—Tachibana? I'm hurt!"

"Damn you Kurosaki! Get the hell outta here. This is none of your concern! Stay the hell outta my business or I will beat you up too!"

"Oh please! I'm not in the mood for games and I'm already late. And if you make me ruin my clothes again, I really will kick your sorry ass into the next century."

I'm just teaching him a lesson here, so why don't you go take that prissy, girly sister of yours and shove it before I get mad and rip her new undies and make her into my girlfriend! !"

_**What happened next was not my fault. Honestly. But there were just some lines I don't allow people to cross and Idiot-Tachibana not only stumbled into it—he stomped his way right in until I had no choice but to rip him a new one. Mondays…seriously hate it. He should've picked any other day of the week. He wouldn't have gotten into too much trouble then. But then again he might really be too dumb to realize I don't allow somethings to be said in the presence of a lady-especially if that lady doesn't mean me.**_


End file.
